Kenya has accomplished one of the world’s greatest planned transformations of a country’s governance structure and done so with minimal disruption and in only nine years. The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Kenya appreciates this and congratulates the government of Kenya and all the devolution stakeholders on this accomplishment.

Since the development of the 2010 Constitution which gave birth to devolution, UNDP has been supporting devolution in a myriad of ways. Offering both financial and technical assistance that has reached all counties, national ministries, departments and agencies and in all sectors - UNDP has walked the devolution journey together with Kenya.

Devolution presents an important opportunity to unlock Kenya’s economic potential and realize its development goals by reducing inequalities and discrimination, promoting gender equality and increased access to quality services, and addressing youth unemployment and inclusivity.

Bringing decision-making and resources closer to the people is what devolution is all about. Devolution offers an opportunity to advance democracy, human rights and gender equality through civic education and public participation at the county level while localizing planning, budgeting and programme execution.

Today, the commitment to devolution by the UNDP remains very high, including support towards the implementation of the Big Four Agenda, MTP IV, and new County Integrated Development Plans. Using the Sustainable Development Goals - the SDGs – as a guiding framework the UNDP is continuing to support devolution and all its stakeholders as we move down the devolution path together.

UNDP has been a partner of Kenya’s ambitious devolution journey from its conception in the 2010 Constitution to its inception at the 2013 election and will continue this partnership beyond the 2022 election. While this path has not been easy to date, and challenges remain, there are opportunities as the late Kenyan Nobel-Laureate Wangari Maathai used to say: “There are great opportunities even in the most difficult of moments.”